Soompi Exclusive Interview with BAI LING

What it Means to Be Naked

Soompi Exclusive Interview with BAI LING

**UPDATE** We are giving away a $100 gift card from TRIUMVIR to see Crank 2! Check it out here..

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Bai Ling will play Ria in the upcoming action film, Crank 2: High Voltage starring Jason Statham and Amy Smart, opening Friday, April 17^th. For her first interview with Soompi.com, she discussed the movie and her experience as a Chinese actress in America, in addition to giving advice for the young people on Soompi who dream of success in entertainment.

Most of us on Soompi recognize Bai Ling for her red carpet fashion and her appearances on popular TV series like LOST and Entourage. But did you know that she has acted in over 60 films in China and the United States, or that she has been chosen as one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People? There is much about this versatile and creative actress that has yet to be revealed on Soompi, so I sat down with Bai Ling to find out what brought her to America to follow her dream.

Bai Ling was born in Chengdu in China, and started acting at the age of 14. When she came to the United States, she had no money and no English ability—just the dream of becoming an actress.

“It’s like a mute who wants to be a singer,” according to Bai Ling, who was made fun of for her wild aspirations. While she was staying in New York, she remembers sitting at a diner with some new acquaintances. When she told them she wanted to become an actress, they laughed and said “You see these waiters and waitresses working here? They’re ALL actors.”

It didn’t take very long for Bai Ling to figure out that making it as an actress in the U.S. was going to be the toughest challenge of her life. However, she never thought of herself as experiencing discrimination or having a more difficult time because she was Chinese.

“I think of myself as an actress, with a gift from God that I must share with the world. I just happen to LOOK Asian,” she says. In fact, many of the roles Bai Ling has played in American film were not originally written for Asian women, but she made the part work for herself and showed what could be done with talent and determination.

Her most recent film is the action-packed Crank 2: High Voltage starring Jason Statham and Amy Smart, to open in theatres Friday April17^th. “I live on the edge of life, I do my own stunts. You will love the movie because it’s like a roller coaster, totally fast and crazy,” says Bai Ling, who thoroughly enjoyed joining the cast as Ria, the outgoing and hilarious Chinese call girl who resolves to help Jason Statham’s character on his mission after he saves her from a gang of thugs.

“My character is bold, crazy, and very funny. What she says may not make any sense to us, but it does to her… and that’s why I love playing that role. She’s so sincere.” Bai Ling says that she is usually cast in more seductive and mysterious roles, but that she had the time of her life playing someone so comical and wacky in Crank 2.

After acting for more than two decades in the United States, Bai Ling has gathered a diverse collection of experiences and life lessons that she would like to pass on to the young people of Soompi, especially the performers who want to make it in Hollywood or Asia as stars.

“For the fans out there on Soompi, you have to be innocent — to believe in your dreams like children because they have no fear of what others will think.” She says that only when you have the perfect combination of innocence and passion can you feel the “magic” of success.

For the young women especially, Bai Ling suggests shaving your head at least once in your life. “Anyone can take off their clothes, but shave your head — that’s when we can talk about what it really means to be naked.” Only when you experience true vulnerability can you have the motivation to achieve your most extreme goals.

As a truly confident, smart, and sexy Hollywood star, Bai Ling is a great example of what we can accomplish if we follow our dreams.

Soompi.com will be giving away tickets to Bai Ling’s new movie, Crank 2: High Voltage so stay tuned for more details.

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